Lynn Senior Legion edges host Danvers

DANVERS – The Lynn Senior Legion team improved its summer record to 10-7-1, after escaping with a 5-4 victory over Danvers at Twi Field on Wednesday evening. Lynn starting pitcher Matt Burnham was solid on the mound all night, but it was his bat that decided the game’s outcome.With the score deadlocked at four in the top of the seventh, Burnham delivered a two-out single to left field. Kyle O’Connor’s slide into home narrowly beat a strong throw from Danvers’ Alex Toomey. O’Connor reached after being hit earlier in the inning, leading to his steal of second.Burnham (seven innings, 11 hits, eight strikeouts) returned to the mound for the final frame. After striking out the leadoff man, the righty issued a walk to Zack St. Pierre before fanning the final two batters for the complete-game victory.If Burnham’s big hit was the game’s biggest play, then a spectacular defensive effort from Lynn left fielder Brian Nerich in the bottom of the sixth was big moment 1B.With one out in the inning, Toomey ripped a single to left before Nerich nailed Evan Eldridge, the would-be go-ahead run, at the plate. Burnham escaped the inning unscathed, leading to his response at the plate.”That was just a hell of a play by Brian,” said Lynn coach Chris Tgettis of the momentum-swinging play. “He came up firing and it was very close. We scored our last run on a very similar play but the call went the other way.”Nerich’s heroics more than made up for perhaps an overly aggressive attempt in the fifth that left the score tied. Danvers’ Eric Larson ripped a sinking liner that got by Nerich in left, allowing Joe Olszak and St. Pierre to score from second and first, respectively.”He was being aggressive with two outs and didn’t want that ball to drop in,” explained Tgettis of Nerich’s decision. “He cheated on it a bit and it got by him, but we like when our guys are aggressive and he was again on the assist, but that one worked out.”Both teams got some early offense before Burnham and counterpart Frank Soucy could settle down. Lynn got one in the first on an RBI single from Victor Molle, scoring Cam O’Neill. The hosts responded with one of their own on an RBI groundout to short by Dan Connors that plated A.J. Couto.The Lynners grabbed a two-run cushion in the second after Drew Gentile and Nerich both singled before the former came around on an RBI single from O’Neill. Nerich scored on an RBI double to deep left by O’Connor.”Early in the year, we were scoring early on, but in the last three or four games, we’ve been struggling a bit with our starts,” said Tgettis. “It was nice to see the guys come out swinging early on and get a few.”Danvers cut the lead to one in the third on an RBI single from Larsen that scored Toomey, who led off with an infield single. Lynn got a big insurance run in the fifth on an RBI double from Scott Betts that one-hopped the left field wall, easily scoring Burnham.The locals get right back at it Thursday evening when they take on Peabody at Breed in Lynn (8 p.m.).